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Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Raspberry rhubarb pie

I've long aspired to be one of those people who can just whip up a pie. But to do that you have to either have grown up in small town America, or practice, and much as I'd like to, I just can't make a pie every day, or even every week. My freezer (and stomach) is only so big. This means that every time I make a pie, I will fret about rolling it out, either tackle the dough too soon, or apply pressure in the wrong places and end up with pastry that needs to be pieced together. The problem with pie, is that whatever triage you have to do to get the thing in the oven, however wonky it seems when it goes in, it always comes out looking pretty impressive. Especially this one. If ever was the time to try a lattice top, this is it - the pink/red pop of the fruit spectacular against the lightly golden pastry. And it tastes even better. The rich, buttery crust balances the sweet/tart of the rhubarb and raspberry beautifully. With a dollop of cream or a puddle of ice cream it's enough to make you forget the trauma of its making. Pie will never be effortless (for me, anyway), but it's always worth making the effort.

To
make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of
peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size of lima beans. Some
of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should
have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too. Add the apple
cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour
mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix the water into the
flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a
couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can
pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it
falling apart. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form
into discs and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at
least one hour before using, or overnight.

On
a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a 12''
circle about 1/8'' thick and place it into a pie pan. Place in the
fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie.

Roll out the other
piece of dough into a 12'' circle about 1/8'' thick and place it in the
fridge on a sheet pan to chill while you prepare the filling.

In a
large bowl, rub the vanilla bean seeds and lemon zest into the sugar to
evenly distribute. Remove the leaves from the rhubarb (if there are
any) and chop it into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the rhubarb, raspberries,
flour, lemon juice and salt into the large bowl with the sugar and
gently toss to combine evenly. Be careful not to crush the raspberries too much.

Fill
the prepared pie shell with the rhubarb mixture and top with the second
crust, crimp the edges and cut a few vents in the top (or try a lattice top following the steps outlined here).

If
the crust seems soft or warm, slide the whole pie into the fridge or
freezer for about 15 minutes before you bake it. When you are ready to
bake, brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and sprinkle with a
healthy dose of coarse sugar (like demerera).

Put the pie on a baking sheet to
catch any drips and bake for 15 minutes on the lowest rack of your oven, then
lower the oven temp to 400º and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the
crust is deep golden brown and the rhubarb juices bubble. Cool before
serving.